Return to Transcripts main page

The Situation Room

Interview With Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN); Former Tradwives Speak Out; Age and Mobility; Interview With Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY). Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired February 19, 2026 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:30:00]

REP. DAVID KUSTOFF (R-TN): I hope that they take the diplomatic course.

We have seen recently, when we struck Venezuela, that very strong but surgical attack in Venezuela, that we're able to do what we need to do as a nation and pull out. We didn't topple the regime, as it will, in Venezuela. Obviously, the second in command is in charge in Venezuela, and we didn't decide to put in the opposition leader.

But I hope Iran decides to take that diplomatic course, or otherwise the president may in fact have to take military action. And the fact of the matter is, with that very large buildup in the Middle East, something may happen very soon. They need to make a decision within days, that meaning Iran.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Republican Congressman David Kustoff of Tennessee, thanks, as usual, for joining us. Appreciate it.

KUSTOFF: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: And just ahead: President Trump un-invites two Democratic governors from a traditionally bipartisan meeting at the White House.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear did get an invite, but he says he isn't going either. He joins us in THE SITUATION ROOM next.

BLITZER: But, first, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has today's "Chasing Life," talking about age and mobility.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, host of CNN's "Chasing Life" podcast.

We often talk about cardio or strength training, but mobility, it's a third category of exercise that's just as important, especially as we age. So here are some tips physical therapist Dr. Kelly Starrett has to improve your body's range of motion. Get your body into different shapes, exposing yourself to what he

calls more movement language. So, for example, instead of sitting in a chair all the time, try sitting on the floor. And, really, just go sit on the floor cross-legged. Getting in and out of that position moves your hips and knees in new ways.

Hang from a bar for a couple of minutes a day. This can help relieve aches and pains in your shoulders and your neck and your back. You don't have to do it on a pull-up bar. You just want to get your arms above your head to stretch. So you can use a door frame or even the yoga pose called downward-facing dog.

That can count as hang time. And, finally, simply walk more. It's one of the best ways to keep stiffness at bay.

You can hear more about how to optimize your health and chase life wherever you get your podcasts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:37:20]

BROWN: There's a minor trend of women on social media glamorizing being a homemaker and child-rearer, and they have a catchy nickname, tradwives, short for traditional wives.

So, today, leading up to my documentary on Sunday on Christian nationalism, I wanted to take you into the worlds of the women who told me they were trained from a young age to become tradwives and saw a darker side to it. They made something clear to me. Their strict religious upbringing wasn't the same as the beautiful videos they see online, and they want that to be a cautionary tale.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not on pause from a career. This is my career. I don't long for a dream job or dream about the day I can go back to work.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to major in homemaking, and I want the study of paying attention to my household, and I want the skill of building a home.

TIA LEVINGS, AUTHOR, "A WELL-TRAINED WIFE: MY ESCAPE FROM CHRISTIAN PATRIARCHY": I don't think we can really vilify the tradwife movement. It appeals to our homey, cozy need for safety.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my dream job. This is the greatest work I will ever do.

LEVINGS: We are in chaotic times, and what's more appealing than bread and pie and a loving mother who's going to rock you and sing you lullabies? BROWN (voice-over): Tia Levings was part of tradwife culture before

it had a catchy nickname. The idealized version of the tradwife aesthetic she sees online bears little resemblance to the tradwife lifestyle she was taught to lead by her church.

LEVINGS: I was raised in a very mainstream, white, wealthy, privileged, Southern Baptist megachurch. It was very wholesome, and I just thought I had this idyllic, but sheltered environment to grow up in. This was in the late '80s and early '90s.

BROWN: A tradwife, short for traditional wife, refers to a married woman who adopts 1950s-style gender roles, homemaking, cooking and child-rearing, while her husband serves as the breadwinner.

It's often associated with conservative Christian values, though religion is not necessarily a tenet of this trendy nickname.

(on camera): Do you have concerns how that lifestyle is being glamorized on social media?

KATIE, FORMER MEMBER, CHRISTIAN NATIONALIST-AFFILIATED CHURCH: Yes. Anyone who is an influencer tradwife is not a tradwife. It's a full- time job to put all that content online and make it look really good.

MARGARET BRONSON, FORMER MEMBER, CHRISTIAN NATIONALIST-AFFILIATED CHURCH: Also, you're getting to use your voice. You're getting your own independent money. So the people who are selling tradwifery are not bearing the costs of tradwifery.

BROWN (voice-over): These women all grew up in high-control religious communities. They didn't choose to be tradwives. They were raised to be them.

BRONSON: It was not just help your mom. It was actually like perform being a wife now, perform being a housewife now, learn all the skills on the level that you will need when you are a mother, and you need to sew your own -- whole family's wardrobe, make food from scratch.

[11:40:16]

So they were literally going out of their way to find more things for us to do, to find more projects and skills for us to learn.

BROWN (on camera): I have heard the term stay-at-home daughter. You stay at home, you train to be a tradwife, and then once you get married then you can leave the home and live your life with your husband and build your own family.

BRONSON: Can I paint the picture for you?

BROWN: Please.

BRONSON: OK, so it starts there, right, the waking up in the middle of the night, taking care of your younger siblings. From the very earliest ages, your brothers are being taken along one track and you are on this other track. And there is one destination and that is marriage and parent -- and motherhood.

LEVINGS: What was actually happening is that they were eliminating the adolescent phase. So you go from childhood to adulthood. And for girls, this means you really truncate everything. You want to stay childlike and sweet. You want to raise your voice up with what I call today the fundie baby voice.

You have to stay very feminine and sweet and pleasing.

BROWN: What's the deal with the voice, the voices that you're supposed to have?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like, oh, I am so praying for you. Like, oh, my gosh. And I know the lord is going to lead your husband in the correct way. Like, and I didn't even ever get the high voice, but it's you soften it. And you really -- you are not.

BRONSON: You're not a threat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're not a threat.

BRONSON: You're not too powerful.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

BRONSON: You're not too loud. You're not going to overstep the bounds.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

BRONSON: You're being so reasonable and so submissive, so willing to comply.

BROWN (voice-over): When it came to finding a life partner, many of these women went through a process where the opinions of their fathers and church elders were held in higher regard than their own.

BRONSON: You're turning 17 and it's like the courtship, you know it's going to start. People are going to start asking. And you're only going to get so many people who ask your dad to court you.

LEVINGS: We put more test-driving and chemistry and getting to know something into buying a car than we did into our mate for life, our sexual partner for life, the father of our children. There was no talk of chemistry or compatibility.

BRONSON: It's going so fast and the dress is there and the flowers, and it's just moving, moving, moving. And then you're at your wedding day. No one has yet talked to you about sex. You haven't been allowed to be alone with your soon-to-be-future husband yet.

Every text message and e-mail and phone call has been listened to and monitored. The first time that you are alone with your husband is on your wedding night. DOUG WILSON, SENIOR PASTOR, CHRIST CHURCH: In order to have a true

marriage, you have to have a covenant made and you have to have consummation.

BRONSON: It's also Doug Wilson's teaching of a marriage is not a marriage until it's consummated. And so there will be a phone call to make sure that you consummated that marriage.

BROWN: Margaret and Tia both grew up in conservative faith communities that followed the teachings of Pastor Doug Wilson. He leads a growing network of churches with Christian nationalist-aligned ideologies. And he's based in Moscow, Idaho.

WILSON: This is -- we call it the church hall. This is Christ Church.

BROWN: I visited him there last summer.

You don't believe husband and wife are equals.

WILSON: Well, I don't think they have equal roles, but it's like asking, which is more equal, the violin or the bow? I say, the violin or the bow? They're one instrument.

Marriage and the family were created by God, by the supreme being, not by the Supreme Court.

BROWN: Wilson's teachings on marriage and on gender roles are derived from what he says is a strict interpretation of the Bible. And Tia says conflict between husband and wife was expected to be brought up with her church elders first and foremost.

LEVINGS: My fiance was a very devout person. He really wanted to love God ardently. He was in over his head. And every time we needed help, it was keep submitting, he needs to keep leading, and it was more responsibility, not less.

BROWN: Tia said her husband demanded she refer to him as "My Lord" and punished her when she wasn't being submissive enough.

LEVINGS: I call it church-sanctioned domestic abuse, because, yes, we had physical violence and yes, we had all of the abuses, emotional, physical, financial, spiritual, psychological. We had everything. So when he had a failing, physical violence, abuse episode, it was my job to help him feel forgiven and feel strengthened and bolstered to try again.

And it didn't matter what impact that was having on me, because I'm supposed to, again, die to self and serve.

BROWN: Tia has since left that marriage. It wasn't an easy process. The divorce and related issues took 10 years.

Margaret, on the other hand, is still with her husband. They have both gone through the process of deconstruction, examining and dismantling established beliefs that often leads to a spiritual shift. They have also rebuilt what it means to be in a marriage outside the confines of their church and of the tradwife identity, not the kind that's glamorized online.

[11:45:12]

LEVINGS: When they share the beautiful idealized images, the tradwife lifestyle is beautiful, and it is also ugly. And it is important to look at all of the reality, so you can make an informed choice, not an idealistic hope.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: And we thank all the women for the courage in talking about their stories. You heard me talk in that piece about how these recovering tradwives have deconstructed from their religious upbringings, meaning they are reexamining and dismantling what they were taught to believe from a young age, but it doesn't happen overnight.

So they invited me to observe them at this retreat where they gathered to process their time in these patriarchal Christian communities and take solace in being together. You're going to see much more from them in my hour-long documentary on "THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER" this Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time right here on CNN or the next day on CNN's All Access streaming platform.

We will be right back with a discussion with Governor Beshear of my home state of Kentucky. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:20]

BROWN: Well, new this morning, sources tell CNN that President Trump will make health care a central focus of his sales pitch for the midterm elections. Trump and his team aim to spotlight priorities that they believe have broad voter appeal, like lower drug prices.

Joining us now to discuss is Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. He is chair of the Democratic Governors Association.

Governor, thanks so much for coming on the show.

Let's talk about health care for a little bit here. Health care, as you well know, ranks among one of the top issues for Americans as they look at affordability, and it's always been a concern past elections and as we look ahead to the midterms.

Democrats have been able to capitalize on this issue, but do you have any concerns that your party could take voter support for granted and President Trump's strategy here, emphasizing, for example, lower drug prices, could work?

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): If President Trump wants to talk about health care for the midterms, bring it on. Democrats are going to win a whole lot of elections.

Why? Because his Congress has refused to extend tax credits for those that were already struggling to afford coverage, while giving tax cuts to the wealthiest of Americans. His big, ugly bill is not only going to devastate rural health care. It's going to devastate rural economies.

Right now, it's projected to close 35 rural hospitals in our home state of Kentucky. Each one of those is the number one payroll in their community. So Donald Trump's approach to health care doesn't just mean you drive 2.5 hours to see a doctor. It means when the hospital closes, so does the restaurant, so does the coffee shop, so does the bank, and so does the insurance company.

If he wants to talk about health care, bring it on.

BROWN: What are you hearing from fellow Kentuckians and what are you actually seeing in terms of direct impact so far from that bill?

BESHEAR: Well, we're seeing concern.

We just had a birthing center shut down. I think it was in Lincoln County. And that means that the citizens there, a pregnant woman may have to drive several hours just to get the care that she needs. University of Louisville stopped a project that was going to bring the same type of care to an area of Jefferson county. It's Louisville, our biggest city.

And so you're seeing it happening right now. And, sadly, it's the places where the margins are the smallest that people are having to cut the fastest. But it is -- the legislation is absolutely devastating.

BROWN: You spoke this morning, Governor, at an event about reclaiming religion, specifically Christianity, from the Republican Party.

I know you're also writing a book about your faith, about this subject. I have covered Christian nationalism at length. I have a documentary coming up this Sunday on it. We often see it on the right of the political spectrum, but what makes you think this issue will resonate as you look to potentially make a 2028 presidential run as a Democrat?

(LAUGHTER)

BESHEAR: Well, I talk about my faith because it's real. It's my why. It's what drives me, why I'm willing to get up and deal with the difficult world of politics with all the negativity that's out there.

You know, I get to get up and try to help somebody every day. And what you see in faith, it should be as simple as, are you using it to help someone or to hurt someone? I mean, my book is called "Go and Do Likewise" because those are the last words in the parable of the good samaritan.

It's not just a story. It's an instruction, where Jesus tells us that everyone's our neighbor and our job is to lift them up and not kick them while they're down.

BROWN: I don't have to tell you that politicians who are looking to run for higher office often write books.

BESHEAR: They do?

BROWN: They absolutely do. So what is your timeline for making a decision or announcing a decision?

BESHEAR: Well, this year, you're going to see me being the best governor of Kentucky that I can be, continuing to bring in jobs. Our economy is still expanding, while most states are contracting.

You're going to see me out with the Democratic Governors Association electing a lot of good Democratic governors in '26. And, by the way, that changes the map for '28. And then some time after I finish that job, which I'm going to give my all, I will sit down with my family.

In the end, to me, it's not about who the candidate is, though I do think they should be a Democratic governor, but can they heal this country? We have got to do more than just beat Trump. We have got to end this division. We have got to restore the American dream. We have got to bring hope back to the American people about a brighter future.

BROWN: But, right now, as it stands -- because you gave us a similar answer when I interviewed you a few months ago.

BESHEAR: Yes, the same answer every time.

BROWN: I know you have to have the talking points for the question. But where is your heart right now as it stands today running for president?

BESHEAR: Well, when I walked off the stage in my reelect in 2023, I looked at my wife and I said: "That's the last race we will ever run."

I don't know that that's true as we're here today. I will not leave a broken country to my kids or to anyone else's. They deserve the same stability of the United States that we had growing up. They deserve a country that's leader of the free world and not the bully on the playground.

[11:55:05]

BROWN: You're also here in D.C. for the annual gathering of the country's governors. President Trump broke with tradition and decided not to invite Governor Wes Moore of Maryland, Governor Polis of Colorado.

And you say you're not going to go. Now, Governor Moore released a statement and said to all the other governors out there, you should still go if you think it's good for your state. So what do you say to your constituents and other voters across the country who believe you should go there and meet with President Trump and fight for Kentucky?

BESHEAR: Well, first, we're doing a lot of meetings with the administration while we're here. My folks are meeting with Cabinets where we have important things in front of them. But the president has turned what was a bipartisan tradition into a

12-year-old's birthday party, you're invited, you're not invited, and creating so much drama around it. In the end, Wes Moore and Jared Polis are friends of mine. Wes Moore is the only black governor in the entire United States. If they're not invited, I'm not going. I stand with my friends.

BROWN: Just as we wrap up, a lot of your messaging and about your book is about unifying, using Christianity for good, bringing out the best in people. We have seen other tactics from potential presidential contenders like Gavin Newsom, who's used more of a tactic of fighting, using basically Trump's own tactics against him.

Why do you think your message of unifying is better than sort of that fight tactic that we have seen from Governor Newsom?

BESHEAR: Well, I'm not going to criticize Gavin because he's in a different situation. The president's attacking him and his state all the time, and we all push back the best way we know how.

But if somebody is looking for a Democratic version of Trump, that's not me. My goal is to bring people together. My goal is to heal the country, and you can't do that if you're engaged in the same tactics that he is. And if that's what the American people are looking for, I'm not their guy.

BROWN: All right, Governor Andy Beshear, thank you so much -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And to our viewers here in the United States and around the world, thanks for joining us this morning.

"INSIDE POLITICS" with our friend and colleague Dana Bash starts right after a quick break.